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Mantas are among a growing number of animals in trouble amid high trade demand that is ensnaring a broadening range of species. Mantas, as well as five shark species, have gained preliminary approval for tougher international trade restrictions, but the move is no guarantee of safety, experts say. "We're struggling to keep pace with the sheer scale of the problem," said Colman O'Criodain, a wildlife trade policy analyst with WWF International.

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The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, Calif., is celebrating the birth of two zebra sharks that are the result of artificial insemination, the first successful AI for the species. The aquarium, as well as experts in Japan and Australia, has successfully used AI in other shark species. Although use of the technique for sharks is still relatively new, it offers hope for more genetically diverse captive shark populations, and it could provide an avenue to help preserve species threatened with extinction.

In an effort to promote genetic diversity among captive animals and to help bolster numbers of endangered species, scientists are turning to artificial insemination for a growing range of species. It's an arduous process because reproductive physiology can vary widely, logistical and behavioral issues complicate the process, and the timing must be right. Species that have benefited include Magellanic penguins, black-footed ferrets, giant pandas, white-naped cranes and the Przewalski's horse.

The 24-inch Argentine black and white tegu poses a greater threat to the Florida Everglades than other invasive species, including pythons, according to some experts, and wildlife biologists Frank Mazzotti and Joy Vinci are working to stop the lizards' spread while they still can. Tegus were most likely released by breeders and owners. They thrive in part by eating a generalist diet and demonstrating greater resistance to cold weather than other invasive species.

Ranches in Texas have imported about 125 exotic species including the scimitar horned oryx, the addax and the dama gazelle. People pay large sums to hunt a certain number of each species, a practice ranchers say is needed to pay for the upkeep of the herds; activists argue that the hunts are inconsistent with the goals of protecting endangered species.

Australian researches have observed 57 naturally occurring hybrid sharks between Queensland and New South Wales, marking the first time such a large number of hybrid sharks have been seen. The sharks are a hybrid of two distinct species, the common blacktip shark and the Australian blacktip shark, and scientists hypothesize the matings may be adaptions to changing environmental conditions.